


2:54AM

by whitneyslola



Category: Ballum, EastEnders
Genre: Boyfriends, EastEnders - Freeform, Gay, M/M, One Shot, Soap Opera, Spiders, ballum - Freeform, m/m - Freeform, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitneyslola/pseuds/whitneyslola
Summary: A series of One Shots that take place at 2:54AM.Between fear of spiders, or Lexi’s coming over at an ungodly hour, all are valid reasons to be up at 2:54AM. At least in Ben Mitchell’s book.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	2:54AM

2:54AM. Fuck.

Ben Mitchell hasn’t been scared of anything (that’s not his Dad) for a very long time. Lexi burping in his face may come close to genuine fear. Or Jay telling him he’s got the 6AM shift at the Car Lot is pretty terrifying: but he was never scared. Except for spiders.

A creature of that size shouldn’t have eight legs and god knows how many eyes. To Lexi, he’s number one insect exterminator, but when he finds himself alone in his boyfriends kitchen at all hours of the night faced with a spider the same size as a small dog, he isn’t sure if he can claim that title. Especially not with Stuart Highway also asleep in the room opposite him, who will  
not hesitate to rip the shit out of him. A hard man son of Phil Mitchell, afraid of a spider that looks like it could swallow him whole. Which it probably could, he’s not about not test that theory.

It’s not the first time Ben’s gotten up in the middle of the night at Callum’s when his head is speaking to him in a language he can’t seem to understand. The sudden familiarity that Callum’s front room brings is the strangest kind of peaceful and reminds him of what he has that’s good for him and for his family, healthy and doesn’t make him feel dirty for being who he is. Despite this, he still feels the eyes of Phil Mitchell blazing into him every time he’s on his own, even when he’s not there. Constantly living up to the abstract expectations of the name he holds is exhausting, all the time, everyday feels the same. Unless he’s reminded of Callum, who even at his worst seems to see the best in Ben anyway. Nobody compares to that, he knows he won’t find that in anyone else. The sheer acceptance of normality he feels with Callum is an indescribable feeling, the feeling of knowing you’re loved everyone you look in their eyes is new to Ben; but this taste of a future when he’s not a facade is beautiful. And he’s so scared of ruining it that even asking for help when he’s terrified of a spider makes him feel like he’s asking for the world when it’s already in his hands.

No way he’s getting a cup and moving it. Going near that thing with anything that’s not a foot long weapon will undoubtedly kill him. And if he even jumps, the whole flat wakes up which includes Callum. It’s currently perched on the glass that Ben wants for some water, and he’s been borderline living there for so long that he had his own assigned tea mug and pint glass. He could do with a beer right now, but not when he swore off alcohol after almost getting run over by a prostitute on a night out with Dotty. He could get his phone and google ‘how to kill spider when you’re shitting yourself?’ but he left his phone under Callum’s pillow after he was distracted from Candy Crush by Callum with his unkept hair. Come on, what is he supposed to do, be celibate when that’s right in front of him? He could just hit it with a book or something, but knowing him, Callum will give him the ‘Ben, it has feelings and maybe it had a partner and kids’ talk in the morning and he really can’t be arsed for that. It’s happened once when Ben accidentally backed up into a spider in the alleyway next to E20 whilst they were in a blackout kissing session and Callum immediately stopped and went on a 20 minute rant about it. Imagining that sober? No thanks.

If he goes back to bed, he’ll live with the fact that there’s a living spider colony somewhere and Ben didn’t destroy the bloodline. Not happening. Instead, Ben decided to sit there in Callum’s dressing gown on his dining table glancing at the spider every two seconds and wincing when it does eventually make its way from the cupboards to the corner of the other chair. His hand is over his mouth to stop him from swearing, but he backs away from the table and onto Callum’s sofa, where he falls over the side and onto the floor, knocking his head on the coffee table. That’s the thought of making no sound out the window.

“Hello! Ben, that you?” A voice, Callum’s thankfully, says from behind him. His figure towering over him as he tried to get up from the floor. “No, it’s your girlfriend Whitney.” He replies with silent embarrassment. They’ve gotten to the point where they can joke about these things, even get Whit involved as she’s basically Callum’s only mate. No offence to him, but you need to get out more if you’re best friends with your ex fiancé.

Callum laughs tiredly and peers over the sofa. “Right then Whitney, do ya want to tell me why you’re on the floor or do I have to figure it out myself.” His face looks tired, but still amused at his boyfriends immediate suffering. “You know when I asked ya to be my boyfriend, I didn’t think I’d be putting myself in for abuse like this.” Ben replies again, seeing stars as Callum drags himself over to lift Ben up from the floor with an arm over his shoulder. 

“My Hero.” He says as Callum sits him down on the dining room chair. “You could’ve not put me by here though.” He scoffs as fusses over the red mark on his head. “And as a hero, I’m  
gonna make you tell me how ya ended up on me floor.” Callum’s 3AM voice is groggy, you can definitely hear the East London in his accent now.

“And what if I don’t?” He says defensively, “For all you know I could’ve been robbing your house right now, doing a Janine Butcher with your money.” He’s not being serious, but Callum smiles anyway. “Well if I’m not trying to strangle you, sorry to disappoint your Michael Moonesque fantasy.” Callum says with immediate regret. “You weren’t saying that earlier-“

“Alright Alright, don’t think I want my brother to hear about your kinks” Callum interrupts, cutting Ben off before he could finish the innuendo. Something about the way Callum says that rolls off his tongue and still brings the red flushing up his neck. Partly that and partly the spider.. “So again, why are yer actually on the floor? Cos I ain’t lying when I woke up hearing you screaming into a towel earlier.” Well fuck, turns out he wasn’t being that discrete.

“Well no cos you’ll laugh at me.” Ben replies sheepishly. To be frank, his guard isn’t exactly up at these hours. “Never thought I’d see the day bad boy of Walford is afraid of me laughing at him. If I promise I ain’t gonna laugh, then you have to tell me. Deal?” Callum says, now he has to tell him considering that spider could be anywhere, maybe even Callum’s head. 

“Fine but you have to seal it with a kiss, babe.”  
“Any excuse to snog me. Fine then, but you’ve been watching too much Disney with Lex.”  
“Oi, you know I could ‘av ya id I wanted ya.”

Callum shuts up with his lips and Ben takes them in with no complaints. All of his anxiety about his Dad and the spider immediately fades away and even if Callum has terrible early morning breathe, Ben takes his neck and makes the kiss more needy. Whichever direction Ben wanted it to go in, it didn’t. Callum pulls away softly and pushes Ben back into the chair.

“Easy tiger.” Callum says. “Now that I’ve promised. What was it?” And Ben dies a little inside when he has to admit it.

“Well I woke up, you know about the nightmares, and came down to clear my head for a bit get some water or something. And no offence, but you hold onto me with the grip of a-“

“Okay, okay, get on with it.”

“And then i was pacing for a bit thinking about stuff. I went to get the water and there was- was.”  
“There was?”

“A spider! There was a spider alright? N’ it was like the size of my hand, swear on my life. When I moved it followed me, and when I tell you it was out for me-“

Callum moves his hands up to Bens face and laughs. “You told me you wouldn’t! Fuck you and all.”

“Right right sorry. But seriously, calm down and stop working yourself up over it. You’re literally in tears.” Callum takes the tear from Ben’s cheek and laughs again. “Never saw you as the type to be scared of spiders. He wipes his cheek again. “You know you could’ve just told me and I would’ve gotten rid of it, you knob.” 

“Didn’t want you to think I was childish. I ain’t used to asking for help.” 

Callum gets a piece of paper from his work bag, and a cup from the the rack where the spider was before and presents it to Ben. “I know you ain’t. But you know that even if you had a paper cut, or you’d done something like almost kill your daughter trying to make her tea, I’d be there for you in a heartbeat. I’m not gonna be like your Dad make you feel like it’s wrong to feel things, Ben. That’s what I’m here for, innit? Now where’s that spider?”

Callum always has ways to give him another reason to be the best person to ever exist. “I really appreciate you. I know I don’t say it often but thanks, for like being there and everything.” He pauses, noticing the spider behind Callum on the ceiling and points. “Just behind you.”

Callum takes it under the glass, opens his window and places it along the wall outside. “Happy now? It’s gone ‘n we didn’t even wake Stuart up.”

“Bit late for that, Bruv.” Stuart’s voice says coming into the room. Looking at the two of them like he’s seen a ghost. “If you two are gonna be screaming, I’d rather you not do it in the front room.” He groans, rubbing his eyes and walking back into his room.

Ben and Callum lock eyes and burst out laughing. “Come back to bed you.” Ben says, leading Callum by the hand. To think, all of this was caused by a spider. Wouldn’t be Ben Mitchell without a bit of the dramatics.


End file.
